Controversial Thriller Trilogy Leaves Netflix

For those that don’t know, the Fifty Shades trilogy has become synonymous with so-bad-it’s-good viewing in recent years due to their generally distasteful portrayal of BDSM, erotica, and toxic relationships. The studio films, much like the books they’re based on, try too hard to walk the line between being taboo and being commercially acceptable and wind up failing on both fronts as a result.

While there are certainly many fans of the films, all three have been decimated by critics and general audiences alike, amassing a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 25 percent for the first film, with the sequels tied at a staggeringly low 11 percent.

The narrative of the Fifty Shades trilogy centers on Dakota Johnson’s Anastasia Steele as she embarks upon a intimate relationship with enigmatic billionaire Christian Grey. As she grows closer to the alluring businessman, Steele comes to learn of Grey’s dangerous and borderline violent sexual proclivities. Rather than running from these desires, the young woman seeks to control them, and eventually learns to unlock underlying fetishes of her own.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “Hey, everyone’s got their thing, I guess, but that all sounds kind of gross, right?” or maybe, “What is this, some kind of bizarre fan fiction?” The answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes.

The Fifty Shades trilogy originally began as a fan fiction of the Twilight series, which was itself panned for being too over-the-top, simplistic in its depiction of romantic relationships, and obnoxiously melodramatic. Obviously, there is a massive market for both of these IPs, but it seems clear that the general public is not expressly interested in the kind of film that seems like it would be playing in the background during one of Diddy’s “freak-offs.”

Still, these are the kinds of movies that sometimes perform well on streaming, since people won’t feel embarrassed following the sensual adventure in the comfort of their own home. So it is definitely a little surprising that Netflix is offloading the Fifty Shades trilogy this month.

Maybe this is a simple licensing hiccup, and the films will return to the streamer sometime soon, or perhaps they just weren’t drawing enough positive attention to the Netflix library. Either way, all three movies will remain available to rent via digital retailers, so Fifty Shades fanatics, if any such super-fans exist, can comfortably rewatch the films in peace.

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Personally, I’m not sure if I know anyone who unironically enjoys the Fifty Shades trilogy, or at least anyone who would actually admit it, though it seems clear that a few select audience members will be distraught to see the franchise leave Netflix. On the off-chance that you’re reading this before October 1, you can still catch Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed on the streamer today.